The composition of conifers in the country is becoming an increasingly common element of landscape design. This design of the territories adjacent to the buildings looks original and aesthetically pleasing. But the implementation of design projects using coniferous plantations cannot be called simple, since it requires not only artistic taste and imagination, but also theoretical preparation.

The topic of the article is not accidental, since conifers are popular in landscape design, but not everyone knows the instructions for planting, arranging and combining these plants. In this article we will talk about which plantings to choose and how to use them for their intended purpose in order to simplify the care of conifers in the country.

Plant selection

The science of decorating a summer cottage with ornamental plants is not easy. Therefore, beginners who decide to join landscape design are forced to combine practice with a permanent search for useful information. Meanwhile, planting conifers in the country can serve as a good start in your passion for landscape design ().

Breeding such plants is not particularly difficult, if you decide in advance on the choice suitable type. It would seem that it is not easy to determine which types of conifers are suitable and which are not, but in reality there will be no problems with the choice.

The fact is that all types of coniferous plantations used by domestic designers are derived from three varieties of trees and shrubs:

• juniper,
• pines,

Species bred by breeders are optimally adapted for existence in domestic difficult climatic conditions. It is not advisable to choose something from import catalogs or import it from abroad, since it is likely that an exclusive foreign ephedra simply will not take root in our open spaces.

Tip: when choosing the best solution, purchase domestic products, the price of which, by the way, is more affordable.

Properly selected conifers are characterized by a number of advantages, including:

• unpretentiousness in terms of soil on the site;
• no special lighting requirements;
• resistance to sudden temperature changes;
• unpretentiousness in relation to moisture content parameters;
• acceptable cost in comparison with other varieties of ornamental plantings;
• ease of maintenance, which is very important if the country house is used mainly for seasonal living.

Features of application in landscape design

Coniferous plants are not unreasonably considered one of the most popular plantings for landscape design. Such plants are widely used to create decorative backstage, alleys, hedges and a wide range of different compositions in combination with other plants.

We bring to your attention an overview of the main ways of using conifers in landscape design.

Mixborders

Mixborders in landscape design are usually called variants of mixed and prefabricated flower beds.

Tip: In most cases, coniferous shrubs and small trees are of paramount importance in the formation of a mixborder. The main concept of mixed compositions is the compatibility and compactness of seemingly incompatible plant forms.

When forming mixborders with your own hands, try to apply the following recommendations:

• Do not use tall wild spruces, junipers and arborvitae in the composition.
• The best solution for the implementation of most ideas are low-growing plants, such as creeping juniper, narrow-pyramidal thuja, dwarf globular spruce, yew, mountain pine.
• Rhododendron, undersized barberry, dwarf spirea, heather, creeping cotoneaster, etc. can advantageously emphasize the aesthetics of coniferous plantations.
• When forming a mixborder using pine needles, it is advisable to use bulbous flowers in combination with ground cover plants.. Such combinations are justified from the point of view of aesthetics, and based on agrotechnical aspects.

flowerbeds

It is no secret that coniferous plants are used to create flower beds. Such solutions have been relevant for a long time. But you need to understand that the optimal aesthetic effect will be guaranteed only with the competent implementation of the design project.

• In the flower beds we plant only compact and undersized plants. However, the center of the composition can be distinguished by a shrub or tree, the size of which will be above average.
• At the heart of the composition, in the absence of a central element, you can use the principle of different shapes and contrast of colors. For example, vertically arranged cylindrical elements can be emphasized or highlighted using dense creeping shrubs. If desired, within the same flower bed, you can combine different plants with needles of different shapes and colors.
• In order to facilitate the subsequent care of the flower bed, slow-growing plantings should be used.
• As the main background, you can use ground cover plants, such as horizontal juniper, cross-pair microbiota, etc.

rock garden

This kind of landscape design is a miniature imitation of mountainous terrain. A feature of such design projects is the use of those plantations that will create the impression of a natural landscape, in the formation of which a person did not take part. Create such an effect with your own hands using coniferous plants on personal plot not difficult.

The only recommendation in this case will be the use of those trees and shrubs that grow in the mountains. Of course, you will have to make an adjustment for the size of the plantations, so that the rock garden becomes a miniature likeness of mountains.

A good solution would be to imitate the transition of the forest into alpine meadows. To do this, a hill is formed from dense soil without stony inclusions, on which dwarf trees will be adjacent to juicy grass.

Tip: When forming a rock garden, the best solution would be to use subalpine fir, Cossack juniper, western arborvitae, drooping thuja, pea-bearing cypress, mountain pine, etc.

Output

Now that we have looked at how to apply conifers in the landscape, we can take a fresh approach to shaping the design of the infield ().

If you still have questions, you can find more useful information by watching the video in this article.

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Evergreens provide a lot of advantages in the arrangement of the site. Depending on the season, the weather conditions change, and with them the panorama of the landscape. The use of evergreen plantings enlivens the space even in winter period giving the backyard a majestic and rich appearance. Such types of plants are successfully combined with deciduous shrubs, for example, with barberries, hydrangeas or rhododendrons.

How to use evergreen plantings in the landscape design of the yard and what are their advantages, we will consider in this material.

Advantages of conifers

Planting on an evergreen site offers great advantages over other plants.

1. Aesthetics. Conifers retain their decorative appearance throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions.
2. Diversity. Numerous varieties will help create lively compositions of different shapes and colors.
3. unpretentiousness. Such green spaces do not require constant maintenance. Grows on all types of soil, does not need in large numbers sunlight and regular watering, so any part of the yard is suitable for planting.
4. Environmental friendliness. Conifers allocate essential oils, enriching the surrounding air with the rich smell of the forest.

Consider shapes and sizes

When using evergreens in the landscape design of a summer cottage, their spatial characteristics are taken into account. It is important to take into account the shape, as well as the size that the plant will reach after a certain period of time.

The use of one or another type of evergreen depends on the correct combination of geometric proportions. For example, it is good to combine straight paths with squat and voluminous plantings, and a pond with low fluffy trees.

It is also mandatory to take into account the total size of the site. Large ones are decorated with large plants, and small ones are decorated using dwarf varieties.

What types of conifers to choose

If the dimensions of the site allow, the following evergreens are planted:

• Thuja western. The height of the tree reaches 5 meters. To give it an arrow-shaped shape, the branches are cut. Thuja is used to create hedges. The only requirement is the shading of the landing site.
• Juniper Skyrocket. Reaches a height of up to 3 meters. The shrub is popular due to the unusual color of needles with a bluish tinge.
• El Hupsi. Grows up to 15 meters tall. Suitable for single and group planting. Thanks to the silvery color with a bluish tint, it gives the composition an incredible look.

The plants listed above belong to the category of large plantations and are used in spacious areas. But for small areas, low-growing varieties with crowns of different shapes are suitable.

Of course, this is an incomplete list of conifers that are used in landscape design. Among the many species and varieties of evergreens, it will not be difficult to choose plants for decorating a summer cottage.

Design options

With the help of conifers, various compositions are created that perform aesthetic and practical functions.

1. Hedges.
2. Lawn decor.
3. Group landings.
4. Mixborders with conifer elements.
5. Evergreens in rockeries.
6. Container garden and bonsai.

Hedges

Such coniferous plantations serve throughout the year, and not only in the warm season. They are used both for fencing the site, and for zoning individual parts of the space.

Conifers with a spherical, pyramidal or columnar crown are best suited for hedges, which tolerate cutting branches well.

Varieties of evergreens are selected depending on the purpose of the hedge. Spruce, pine, fir are suitable for fencing the site. If you need a fence of medium height for zoning, then use different varieties of arborvitae, juniper, yew or cypress. To create low green borders, dwarf species are chosen.

Thematic material:

Varieties of silvery or bluish tones will help to highlight the hedge against the background of other plantings. The main requirement when creating a living fence is the use of fast-growing conifers of the same species.

lawn elements

If green lawns are broken on the site, then they can be supplemented with coniferous crops. At the same time, high-growing or medium-height varieties with expressive crown shapes are chosen. For landing on the lawn, pyramidal and arrow-shaped, as well as spherical varieties of conifers are suitable.

These plants look great alone. A neatly trimmed lawn will serve as a decorative frame and background for separately growing trees and shrubs.

Group landings

Instead of a banal round flower bed with roses, a group planting of conifers is often used, where plants are combined in crown shapes and colors. Ensembles based on the contrast of shades and configurations are expressive. For example, columnar varieties of evergreens are combined with spherical and creeping ones. A good option is to combine thuja, silver spruce and juniper in one composition.

An expressive effect is achieved by combining deciduous species with conifers. Hydrangea shrubs coexist well with them.

Group plantings are also original, in which coniferous plants with needle and scaly leaves are combined.

When planning such compositions, the size of mature trees and shrubs is taken into account. After all, many evergreens can reach large dimensions.

Mixborders with conifer elements

Mixborders - compositions using different types of plants, including evergreens. At the same time, coniferous inclusions often occupy the central place of a prefabricated flower bed or act as a backdrop for perennial flowers.

A win-win option is a combination of conifers in one mix along with deciduous shrubs, for example, hydrangea, barberry, cotoneaster and others.

When creating a mixborder, it is important to consider plant compatibility. Fallen needles change the acidity of the soil, and some deciduous plantings may simply not be suitable for such a neighborhood.

But the hydrangea coexists without problems with spruces and junipers. When planting this decorative flower, it is even recommended to add coniferous soil. Hydrangeas love shaded areas with acidic soils - just the conditions that create coniferous plantings.

Evergreens in rock gardens

Today, rockeries and rock gardens are often used in landscape design, which provide for the mandatory presence of conifers.

Which plants to choose depends on the size of the rocky garden. In small rockeries, creeping varieties are used, and if space allows, they include dwarf pines and spruces.

Thuja, junipers, firs and other undersized conifers become truly an adornment of rocky gardens.

Evergreens that tolerate shearing with ease are great for topiary. After all, it is here that decorative figures of bizarre forms are created from trees and shrubs, up to the image of people and animals.

The popularity of evergreens in topiary art is also explained by the fact that dense and dense needles make it possible to form objects without any problems. complex configuration. At the same time, you can create masterpieces all year round.

Container gardens and bonsai

Our climatic conditions do not always allow the use of some varieties coniferous plants. Trees growing in the southern regions are sensitive to temperature changes, and even an indicator of zero degrees leads to their death.

The way out of this situation is to plant plants in containers that are placed on the site during the warm season and removed for the winter in unheated room. The same rule applies to coniferous bonsai.

Each variety of plants requires a certain amount of soil, which must be taken into account when planting in containers. Dwarf and creeping types of conifers feel good in a limited space. Moreover, the larger the plant, the more spacious the container is chosen.

The advantage of such gardens is that the design can be updated over time, simply by changing the arrangement.

For landscape design, the use of coniferous plants will be an excellent option to diversify the design. In addition, such landings are unpretentious in care and delight the eye all year round. One or more types of evergreen plantations will transform the summer cottage, turning it into a cozy place to relax.

Coniferous plants in the landscape design of a summer cottage have been used for a relatively long time. Coniferous groups are distinguished by highly decorative appearance and are perfectly combined with deciduous and flowering plants, which allows you to make very beautiful and original garden compositions in the backyard and in the country.

Basic rules for placing conifers in the garden

Tall conifers can be used in the garden as tapeworms, as well as when creating alleys or large group compositions. Particularly highly valued are varieties and types of coniferous crops that have changes in the nature of growth processes, have a crown of an unusual shape, and are also distinguished by an unusual type or color of needles with long-term preservation of decorative qualities.

As a rule, such plants are characterized by a small height or belong to dwarf forms.. A wide variety of varieties and species allows you to plant mixborders, as well as decorate the backyard landscape and garden spaces with ground cover plants. A successful combination with many other cultures allows you to effectively and quickly decorate rock gardens, paths along the house or the coastal zone of natural and artificial reservoirs.

Conifers in the landscape design of a summer cottage

The use of such plants in the landscape design of a backyard or garden plot justified for many reasons:

• conifers do not change their coloration and do not lose their external attractiveness all year round;
• varieties and hybrid forms are distinguished by a variety of colors and shapes;
• such cultures are able to retain dust very well and reduce external noise;
• special substances secreted by needles inhibit the spread of bacterial and viral infections;
• are able to enrich the air with oxygen and a significant amount of phytoncides.

Regardless of what sorts of forms the landscape design is carried out, such vegetation is attractive and very useful. As a rule, collections include conifers of different growth strength.

How to use conifers in landscape design (video)

undersized species

All undersized species are represented by:

• dwarf species with an annual growth of 80-150 mm;
• miniature species with an annual growth of 30-80 mm;
• microscopic species with an annual growth of no more than 30 mm.

The most popular undersized species and varieties in landscape design:

• Norway spruce Buka. It has a dense flattened crown, an increase of one and a half centimeters and apical branches. Growth predominantly in width;
• Kaempfer larch "Blue Dwarf" is a very short and slow-growing variety with a round and dense crown and hanging ends of the branches;
• Canadian hemlock Tracilis variety "Oldenburg" refers to slow-growing dwarf forms with a height of about 25-30 cm and a crown diameter of 40-50 cm;
• dwarf pine ordinary varieties"Moose" with a slate type of growth and highly decorative bluish-green needles;
• miniature noble fir varieties "Abies procera" is one of the most popular conifers;
• Canadian hemlock variety "Jeddeloch" is the most common at present dwarf form with a semicircular shape and spirally arranged branches;
• dwarf thuja western variety "Danika" with a height of not more than 80 cm has a dense and spherical crown with a diameter of 100 cm with a scaly, dense, light green or brownish-green crown.

Depending on the level of illumination, soil and climatic features and care, the height of the crop may vary.

medium-sized coniferous plants

Plants of medium vigor are less demanding in care and harmoniously complement deciduous shrubs, and also go well with roses of various types.

The most popular medium-sized types and forms in landscape design:

• Serbian spruce of the "Glauka Pendula" variety has thin shoots hanging down along the stem part;
• the Blue Diamonds blue spruce has a tall thin trunk and a neatly shaped conical crown;
• Canadian spruce varieties "Piccolo" is distinguished by a bright and elegant aerial part with the presence of emerald green needles, which cast blue under the sun's rays;
• evergreen spruce "Konika" has a very attractive and original appearance, as well as slow growth, thanks to which it is very popular in our country;
• medium-sized fruit-bearing berry bush yew has very beautiful needles, so it looks great when decorating adjoining territory and recreation areas;
• medium-sized thuja is an unusual spherical plant, consisting of dense and vertically arranged branches;
• golden yew is characterized by a cupped crown and yellowish needles, and is also excellent for growing in shady areas.

Landscaping it is not always able to look complete if the overall design picture is not complemented by tall conifers.

Tall conifers

For decoration with tall plants, planting thuja, pine and spruce is often used, which are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and durability.

Most Popular tall species and forms in the design of the landscape:

• the Watereri pine is an evergreen large shrub with a columnar, dense or more loose, umbrella-shaped, very picturesque crown and a reddish trunk;
• blue sun spruce Hoopsii has a stable and predictable growth, reaching a height of 10 m with a width of 4 m;
• "pencil tree" or Skyrocket juniper is a vertically growing shrub or tree up to 12 m high and 5 m wide;
• evergreen shrub plant golden yew with a spherical aerial part up to 4 m high and not more than 5 m wide with golden yellow or greenish yellow needles;
• prickly tall spruce "Hupsi" reaches a height of 13-15 m and has dense silver-blue needles;
• juniper of the Skyrocket variety reaches a height of 3 m and has a very beautiful conical crown with blue needles;
• western thuja is most often used in the creation of hedges, easily tolerates haircuts and reaches a height of 5 m.

Tall conifers should be planted in strict accordance with the technology and taking into account their growth strength.

Creeping varieties

In recent years, it has been especially popular in the design of backyard small gardens. ground cover or creeping highly decorative varieties are increasingly used:

• spruce "Lombers" is one of the most popular and sought-after shrubs creeping along the ground with an attractive emerald green color;
• European larch variety "Repens" is a very attractive undersized creeping plant with weeping branches lying on the ground;
• thuja "Timi-Tini" is a spherical, fairly drought-resistant plant that does not require special attention and abundant watering;
• mountain pine "Humpy" is most often used for decorative design rock gardens, and winter time the buds on the plant take on a very attractive red hue;
• a miniature pug is able to grow on the surface of the ground with a very attractive and uniform fluffy pillow.

No less popular are pillow-shaped and weeping spruces, as well as horizontal junipers of the Blue-Chip and Blue-Forest varieties, with a height of 20-40 cm with needle-shaped and very prickly needles.

How to compose a composition of conifers (video)

Compositions from conifers: options and rules for compiling

Conifers are perfectly combined with other coniferous crops and green spaces. Before composing, it is very important to determine the width of the growth of such a culture and the features of care.

Deciduous shrubs and conifers

Decorative landscape compositions on a personal plot must necessarily include a wide variety of elements that look the most attractive and advantageous.

It should be remembered that not all cultures get along well with each other, and that is why, when combining different representatives of the plant world in one area, it is very important to take into account their main biological features. This rule especially applies to varieties of juniper that can be affected by "rust".

Compositions from thuja and conifers

Vegetation with blue needles looks great against a green background. In such compositions, it is necessary to plant thuja in the background, and arrange the foreground with dwarf thuja and rocky juniper.

Tall coniferous vegetation in the form of spruces and pines located near garden stairs or retaining walls, complemented by medium-sized thujas and undersized deciduous crops, are most harmoniously combined. You have to remember that pine with cedar and thuja with spruce take root quite hard, so such combinations should be minimized.

Ephedra with roses and other garden flowers

Coniferous crops are beautiful not only on their own, but also very well combined in all sorts of compositions with a variety of decorative leafy or flowering plants. They provide an excellent backdrop for flowering foliage plants such as roses, rhododendrons and hydrangeas. The palette of colors, shades and textures can be very diverse.

Beautiful compositions of coniferous plants

When arranging conifers, it is very important to take into account the growth characteristics of the plant. th, as well as the state and development of the crown of culture in adulthood, which will not allow the harmony of the composition to be disturbed over time. Experts recommend that when creating a landscape composition on your own, adhere to the basic principles of contrast and place popular undersized cultures with a spherical crown in the foreground of tall pyramidal conifers.

The prickly spruce of the Bialobok variety, as well as the western thuja of the Smaragd and Yellow Ribbon varieties, the common juniper of the Hibernica and Meyer varieties, or the yew berry have proven themselves in the role of the top. The gray spruce "Conica" can dominate very effectively. The second tier can be planted with plants various forms crowns. IN coniferous mixborders should select crops that are diverse in height, crown shape, crown coloration.

Group plantings can be varied with bright flowering rhododendrons, evergreen wintergreen, heathers or variegated shrubs.

Protection of the coniferous garden from the sun and frost

In winter, coniferous plants suffer the least from low-temperature regimes, and the main danger for them is a frosty and withering wind. special attention require varieties grown in little snow and frosty areas, as well as in Siberia and Far East.

It is advisable to bring a container plant that is not too voluminous into a room for the winter. If necessary, you can cover the street container culture with an ordinary spruce spruce branch, creating a kind of "hut". Ephedra open ground require insulation of the near-stem circle a layer of sawdust, straw, peat or coniferous needles, after which the stem part is wrapped nonwoven fabric or burlap.

Polyethylene is not suitable for winter shelter. It is advisable to install screens or screens in order to protect against gusty winds and spring sunlight. A sprawling coniferous plant needs tying branches and building a canopy or screen. Adult crops such as cedar, yew, fir, spruce and pine need shelter on the winter.

How to plant conifers (video)

For growing almost any variety of coniferous crops in a backyard landscape, areas well protected from cold gusty winds and bright sunlight are optimally suited. It is best to purchase such plants in nurseries where the culture has already passed the initial stage of adaptation to agro-climatic conditions in a particular region.

Ephedra are quite often used in landscape design to decorate flower beds. And this is not surprising, because conifers have many advantages over ordinary flowers: they retain their attractiveness regardless of the season, are not demanding on conditions, and they do not need to be planted annually. In addition, creating a flower bed from conifers on a site with your own hands is no more difficult than arranging any flower garden - you just need to choose a place and plant variety, draw up a planting plan, and plant several types of decorative conifers in a flower bed.

A flower bed, consisting of several types of coniferous crops, is considered a complex landscape composition, so it is quite difficult to create it with your own hands in an arbitrary style without prior preparation and a plan. You need to start creating a flower bed with conifers by drawing up a diagram on which the location of each plant is applied in detail. A properly designed flower bed layout should take into account the following points:

• the territory on which the flowerbed with conifers will be located should be in an open sunny place;

• so that the coniferous composition does not merge, the plants must be contrasting in color, shape and size;
• priority in the flower bed should be given to compact and undersized varieties - against their background, single coniferous trees look more advantageous;
• at the planning stage, it is necessary to decide on finishing materials used for framing and decorating flower beds - conifers look more spectacular framed in stone;
• in the plan, all conifers, stones, additional decorative elements should be displayed as accurately as possible, and the sequence of their planting is indicated by numbers.

When creating a composition with do-it-yourself conifers, the question often arises: what other plants can be planted so that they are combined with coniferous plantations? The most popular coniferous species are: spruce, undersized mountain pine, fir, thuja, junipers of various varieties. In addition, the coniferous composition can be supplemented with any flowering perennials.

Of the many plants, roses are most effectively combined with coniferous crops, because it is precisely green color creates a bright contrast and sets off the roses favorably. The coniferous composition, in which roses are present, is distinguished by its special sophistication and sophistication. Roses in a mixborder can be planted different varieties, while it is better to plant low-growing and ground cover roses along the edge, and in the center, against the background of tall trees (thuja, spruce) - bush, standard roses. White lilies and blue irises also go well with greenery, but still bright multi-colored roses in combination with conifers create a special emphasis on such a flower bed.

Video "All about coniferous compositions in the garden"

Step by step instructions for creating

The arrangement of any flower bed with your own hands begins with the preparation of the soil. And in the case of conifers, the soil must be prepared especially carefully, since they are planted once for many years. First you need to dig deep into the area, since the roots of most conifers are quite long. The soil for conifers should be loose, with good drainage properties, preferably sandy loam with neutral acidity.

After digging, all lumps, roots, weeds must be removed from the soil, mineral fertilizers suitable for a particular type of conifers that will be planted in a flower bed. Peat and sand should be added to clay heavy soil, and a little soddy soil should be added to sandy soil. If the flower bed is small, you can buy soil for it at a flower shop - they sell ready-made soil mixtures for each individual type of coniferous trees and shrubs.

After the soil in the flower bed is prepared, you can proceed to the design of the composition of the conifers. Here it is important to transfer the schematic plan of the flower bed as accurately as possible to a real piece of land.

This process is as follows:

After the coniferous composition is planted, the soil should be mulched in the flower bed. When choosing a material, it is desirable to take into account not only the decorative properties of the material, but also its practical benefits for plants - organic mulch: fine gravel, granite chips, wood chips and sawdust, in addition to the mulching function, also improve soil properties.

How to care

In general, conifers are unpretentious, but this is true only for rooted and adult conifers. After planting in a flower bed, young seedlings can begin to wither rapidly, and most often this is due to a change in soil - in a store, a temporary substrate containing special additives is placed in pots with coniferous seedlings. And after planting, the plants enter a completely different environment, and this is a real stress for them. If the seedlings of young conifers begin to die, it is necessary to add special dressing to the soil, or add soil brought from the forest.

IN further care for coniferous crops consists of a considerable list of activities, however, they must be carried out only as necessary:

1. Watering. In the first year of planting, young conifers are watered at intervals of 1 time per week. Most adult coniferous plants do not need watering at all, with the exception of abnormal heat or prolonged drought.
2. Sprinkling. This procedure is performed only in the absence of rain for a long time. However, if desired, crown irrigation can be carried out more often - this will only make coniferous plantations more attractive.
   
3. Weeding. The flower bed needs to remove weeds, as a rule, in the first years, when the coniferous composition has not grown enough. In the future, plantings will create a shadow, and weeds will stop growing. If the flower bed consists of undersized compact shrubs or dwarf varieties of conifers, weeding is carried out more often, since weeds create a shadow over them and prevent growth.
4. Mulching. Shelter made of organic material can be made as in trunk circles, and over the entire surface in the flower bed. Mulch has many useful functions for plants: it prevents the growth of weeds, retains moisture, and reduces soil freezing. On a flowerbed of conifers, it will be more than appropriate to look at the mulch from the remnants of needles - needles, cones, coniferous bark, sawdust.
5. Loosening. In the first 3 years, soil loosening between coniferous plantations should be carried out regularly to a depth of 7-10 cm after each watering. Then the soil is simply mulched.
6. Top dressing. Coniferous crops do not need frequent feeding. Mineral mixtures with humates, specially designed for conifers, are applied once in spring or early summer.
7. Pruning. Planned pruning of coniferous crops is carried out at the end of August - September in order to give the composition a decorative form.
8. Fight against drying out of needles. From intense heat and lack of moisture, conifers can turn yellow and crumble. In this case, therapeutic measures are needed with spraying the crown with special solutions: Gimisol, Immunocytovit.

Whatever the size of the plot, there will always be conifers for it, without which no garden can be considered complete. Today's abundance of varieties and species allows you to experiment and create new ones. coniferous compositions in landscape design of small and large gardens.

Coniferous plants, with their diversity, confuse the gardener when choosing candidates for creating landscape forms. Tidying up your knowledge of evergreens is the first step in planning a beautiful garden.

The whole variety of conifers is better represented if they are divided into groups:

• Full-grown, whose annual growth is 30 cm or more per year;
• Medium-sized and semi-dwarf individuals grow no more than 30 cm per year;
• Dwarf forms with an annual growth of about 8 cm;
• Miniature, which add 3-5 cm per year;
• Microscopic with an increase of not more than 1 cm per year.

According to these signs, the gardener determines the place that conifers will occupy in the landscape design of the site.

The first group of plants reaches a height of 3 meters or more at the age of ten. For example, common spruce (Picea abies) at the age of 12 represents a beauty 4 meters high, and its crown in the lower part reaches a diameter of about 3 meters.

Norway spruce

Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani) from this group also belongs to the category of giants. At the age of 10, he can reach a height of 5 meters. In adulthood, and the conifers grow for a very long time, it will be a 25 meter giant, which is a delightful sight.

Lebanese cedar

Semi-dwarf forms of conifers are by far the most attractive for garden or park compositions due to their versatility. They do not need a lot of space, but even from a distance of 10 meters, a group of such plants looks quite presentable.

Dwarf and miniature forms are suitable for small gardens, where plants are given small plot and you need to watch the picture from a distance of no more than 5 meters in order to appreciate the beauty of each of its participants and the whole composition as a whole.

Semi-dwarf spruce
dwarf larch
miniature cedar

Microscopic evergreens are grown by lovers of Japanese-style indoor gardens. An ensemble of such plants can be placed on a pedestal in a small courtyard.

It is also necessary to divide evergreens into groups:

• trees;
• shrubs.

Shrubs are common and dwarf. Cossack juniper (Juniperus sabina tamariscifolia) is a common resident of parks and gardens because of its unpretentiousness and vitality. It does not reach a height of more than one meter, but in width, if it is released and does not form a crown, it can occupy an area of ​​\u200b\u200babout five or more meters in diameter.

On the contrary, the horizontal juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) in the landscape design of the site plays the role of a prickly blanket that spreads along the ground, and reaches a height of no more than 15 cm. It grows rather slowly.

Juniper horizontal

Pros and cons

The merits of coniferous plants include:

• ease of care;
• garden decoration at any time of the year;
• lack of fallen leaves;
• lack of inflorescences that need to be cut;
• an abundance of shapes, sizes and colors;
• the ability to form any shape using trimming;
• improvement of the surrounding air;
• durability.

In some sources, the disadvantages of coniferous crops include the unpredictability of their growth and appearance in adulthood. The right approach when growing coniferous plants, it nullifies all the shortcomings of their content. If the planting site and the type of plant are chosen taking into account its needs, size and climate, then the gardener can only treat diseases and pests in time and feed his coniferous pets with delicious fertilizer for health and a fluffy look a couple of times a season.

Willow Hakuro Nishiki Willow - a plant familiar to almost everyone, often used for landscaping areas. But instances...

There is a plan!

With the help of coniferous plants, the garden can be given completely different forms. Fast-growing coniferous trees for landscape design of the site will be appreciated by lovers of quick results.

A well-planned project is half the battle.

The entrance area of ​​the plot can be decorated in a formal style: clear forms of trimmed thujas of spherical and conical shape meet guests and owners near the entrance to the house. They are surrounded by a well-groomed lawn or colored shredded bark in discreet shades.

In order for thuja to please the eye with fresh greenery, they need proper care and attentive attitude. Quite common is the situation when, dry and look unkempt (do not confuse these cases with the golden varieties of this plant).

A live fence made of sheared arborvitae will help divide the garden into several different zones. Behind a two-meter thuja wall, the continuation of the site will not be visible, and the winding path will mysteriously hide and beckon further into the garden.

Quite a frequent and popular guest. They are well suited for growing in urban areas, as they withstand increased air pollution.

Such large-scale structures and large trees will be appropriate if there is enough space.

Conifers in the landscape design of the garden should not look alien and unnecessary. Having assessed the space intended for conifers, a good gardener will first study the varieties that are suitable for specific purposes.

In a small garden, groups of medium-sized and semi-dwarf plants look good against a lawn or gravel backfill. For lack of space, a mixborder of conifers is created along the fence. In the background, you can place several balls of western thuja (Thuja ossidentalis), between them a creeping semi-dwarf juniper (Juniperus horizontalis "Glauca"), and in the foreground there will be a neat spruce "Conica" (Picea glauca albertiana "Conica") with its small size and bright green needles. It goes well with the golden ball of the Japanese spiraea "Golden Princess" (Spiraea japonica). For color harmony, you can add a dwarf oriental thuja with golden foliage (Thuja orientalis "Aurea Nana") here. At the beginning of summer, all this splendor is decorated pink flowers spirea.

Coniferous mixborder
Semi-dwarf juniper
Eastern dwarf thuja

Creation of coniferous paradise

When inscribing conifers in landscape design, you must follow some rules:

• the tallest specimens are planted in the background;
• coniferous composition from different plants should not combine more than three forms of crowns;
• symmetry and precise geometric shapes inappropriate when creating an evergreen free-plan group;
• the parterre strict composition must be strictly symmetrical and requires constant care and haircuts;
• an ensemble of coniferous plants does not need variegation;
• accents are required;
• the place for review should be at a distance equal to twice the length of the composition;
• the wrong green neighbors can nullify the gardener's efforts.

Some of these rules require a detailed approach and specifics. If the first postulate is simple and understandable, then the question of forms can be explained by the structure of the human eye. The abundance of forms, as well as colors, creates a sense of unrest. A composition of three colors or two or three contrasting forms looks much nicer and more holistic. Pyramidal thuja Brabant in the landscape design of the group is best placed in the background. Their severity is emphasized by the spherical forms of cypress, and in the foreground the whole ensemble is calmed by creeping juniper or ground cover deciduous plants. Even if the territory for conifers is quite extensive, the rhythmic alternation of the same plants is better perceived, and not a set of all kinds of varieties and colors.

In order for the eye not to wander around the composition, the beginning of contemplation should begin with an accent, which can create a tree or shrub of an unusual shape or color, slightly different from all the others. The starting point of the view is a small heather garden, which blends beautifully with the conifers. A boulder of an unusual shape, immersed in the arms of a juniper, or an interesting solution of a garden lamp also attracts the eye and helps to perceive the entire composition as a whole and each plant separately.

The combination of sizes of coniferous plants in the group should be harmonious. Tall spruce is perceived on long distance, while the small spherical thuja is interesting up close.

For a decent development of coniferous plants, it is necessary to take into account the influence that plants have on each other. The neighborhood of spruce and thuja will oppress both plants. A beautiful specimen of larch will not tolerate anyone next to it. This maverick loves to grow alone, just like birch.

Larch

The combination of conifers with roses looks very beautiful. But for a rose, this neighborhood may not be very comfortable.

Ephedra in different roles

Many gardeners give preference to conifers when decorating a plot, because these plants can play a variety of roles:

1. Hedge;
2. solo part;
3. Mixborder;
4. Alpine hill or rockery;
5. Ensemble;
6. container garden.

A hedge of evergreens can be functional or aesthetic. If you need to separate a place of rest from prying eyes, columnar junipers or thujas will do this role very well. Closely planted to each other, they will create a beautiful and impenetrable wall that will look organic in the green mass of the site.

A dwarf juniper or cypress will make an excellent fence for enclosing a playground or flower bed, which will not block the view, but will create a beautiful frame.

As a solo performer, coniferous trees or shrubs with an interesting crown shape, needle color or an exotic type of fruit are used. BUT better combination all at once for the decorativeness of the soloist throughout the year. The background for the artist can be a lawn, gravel or decorative wood chips.

The composition, that is, the “mix”, of plants along the path or fence forms a kind of border, and all together this is called a mixborder. This element of the garden is very popular among gardeners. It can be decorated with conifers or a combination of conifers with flowers and ground cover plants. Mixborder near the path is better to decorate with dwarf and semi-dwarf forms so that the eye covers the entire group of plants at once.

Alpine slides or rock gardens in the recent past were a favorite decoration of garden plots. On any, even a very small, piece of the garden, amateurs tried to create something similar to the Alps with an obligatory assortment of ground cover and coniferous plants. To create a rock garden that would naturally fit into the landscape of the site is not an easy task, but it is quite feasible. Much easier is possible - a combination of plants and stones. For this element of the landscape, you do not need to build mountains, a beautiful boulder and evergreens, correctly matched to it, are enough. Dwarf mountain pine in landscape design will feel like home when surrounded by a few stones of interesting shape or color. Ground cover flowers or creeping junipers are planted between stones and conifers. In this case, plants and stones located on pebbles look more natural.

Compositions from coniferous plants - the simplest and most nice solution to revitalize the lawn or patio.

Conifers can be combined with deciduous plants suitable for growing conditions. The unpretentious and beautiful staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) with its feather-like leaves will look great in summer against the background of strict fir trees, and in autumn its scarlet colors against a calm green background will attract the eye of even a sophisticated gardener.

In group compositions, the contrasts of form and the play of color play a major role. Columnar arborvitae with bright green needles are perfectly combined with golden thuja balls, and creeping deep green juniper completes this composition, spread out on the lawn.

There are coniferous plants that a gardener would really like to see in his green kingdom. But not all conifers tolerate frost and lower temperatures. In this case, container forms of conifers come to the rescue. They can decorate patio or add to an already prepared composition in the garden. The container form of plants allows you to combine incongruous. In this form, the dream of a duet of roses and spruce is quite feasible.

Present the finished result and go! You will succeed!